ANTH 369: Anthropology of Men's Health

This course represented a milestone for me as an anthropologist. For our final project, we were required to conduct a small, independent, qualitative research project on some issue relevant to men's health and create an educational brochure about the issue. It was my first foray into interviewing, transcribing, and coding, which I can now say is one of the most labor intensive and time consuming endeavors I have ever undertaken. It was also my first stab at writing a journal style article, though I've found that writing for anthropology is very different from writing for microbiology. It was extremely rewarding to speak with people and ask them to share their opinions about health issues. It was this project that helped me understand that I am not only interested in the biology and pathology of sickness, but also in the social determinants of health and how people experience their health and the health of others. Looking back on this project now has made me realize that I have had the public health bug much longer than I even knew. This insight has helped me realize that my career as a physician will absolutely include some aspect of research into how people pursue and achieve health, how they feel about current issues, and what I can to do help them achieve their health goals.